Carl Thomas Rowan was born on August 11, 1925 and died September 23, 2000. He was born in Ravenscroft, Tennessee, to Thomas David and Johnnie B. Rowan. He was then raised in McMinnville, Tennessee. He studied at Tennessee State University and Washburn University. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1947 and earned a master's degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota in 1948. He was one of the first African-Americans to serve as a commissioned officer in the United States Navy.
He began his career in journalism as copywriter for The Minneapolis Tribune. He later became a staff writer in 1961, reporting extensively on the Civil Rights Movement. From 1961 untill 1965 Rowan served in several public service offices including Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, a delegate to the United Nations during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the U.S. Ambassador to Finland in 1963. In 1964, Rowan was appointed director of the United States Information Agency by President Lyndon B. Johnson, but resigned in 1965 when both Johnson and Rowan were accused of trying to dictate a pro-administration bias to Voice of America broadcasts.
Rowan gained public notoriety on June 14, 1988, when he shot a teenage trespasser, Neil Smith, who was using Rowan's swimming pool in Washington, D.C. Critics called the shoting hipocracy because his use of an registered weapon conflicted with his campaigns for gun control. Immediately after the shooting, Rowan offered several conflicting accounts about where he got the handgun. Police officials pointed out that under D.C. law, all guns must be registered; failure to do so was punishable by up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Rowan was tried but the jury was deadlocked, the judge declared a mistrial and he was never retried. In his autobiography, Rowan said he still favored gun control, but admited being vulnerable to a charge of hypocrisy.
Rowan was the first African-American to attend meetings of the National Security Council. From 1966 to 1998, Rowan wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times and, from 1967 to 1996, was a panelist on Inside Washington. Rowan was a 1995 Pulitzer Prize finalist for his commentaries. He is the only journalist in history to win the Sigma Delta Chi medallion for journalistic excellence for three consecutive years. In 1968 Rowan received the Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award as well as an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Colby College. The National Press Club gave Rowan its 1999 Fourth Estate Award for lifetime achievement. Rowan died in Washington, D.C. His alma mater Oberlin College holds his papers.
He began his career in journalism as copywriter for The Minneapolis Tribune. He later became a staff writer in 1961, reporting extensively on the Civil Rights Movement. From 1961 untill 1965 Rowan served in several public service offices including Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, a delegate to the United Nations during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the U.S. Ambassador to Finland in 1963. In 1964, Rowan was appointed director of the United States Information Agency by President Lyndon B. Johnson, but resigned in 1965 when both Johnson and Rowan were accused of trying to dictate a pro-administration bias to Voice of America broadcasts.
Rowan gained public notoriety on June 14, 1988, when he shot a teenage trespasser, Neil Smith, who was using Rowan's swimming pool in Washington, D.C. Critics called the shoting hipocracy because his use of an registered weapon conflicted with his campaigns for gun control. Immediately after the shooting, Rowan offered several conflicting accounts about where he got the handgun. Police officials pointed out that under D.C. law, all guns must be registered; failure to do so was punishable by up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Rowan was tried but the jury was deadlocked, the judge declared a mistrial and he was never retried. In his autobiography, Rowan said he still favored gun control, but admited being vulnerable to a charge of hypocrisy.
Rowan was the first African-American to attend meetings of the National Security Council. From 1966 to 1998, Rowan wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times and, from 1967 to 1996, was a panelist on Inside Washington. Rowan was a 1995 Pulitzer Prize finalist for his commentaries. He is the only journalist in history to win the Sigma Delta Chi medallion for journalistic excellence for three consecutive years. In 1968 Rowan received the Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award as well as an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Colby College. The National Press Club gave Rowan its 1999 Fourth Estate Award for lifetime achievement. Rowan died in Washington, D.C. His alma mater Oberlin College holds his papers.
Dave, K. "Rowan case and the need to bear arms." 19 Feb 2009 <http://www.davekopel.org/2A/OpEds/Rowan-Case.htm>.
" ยป BLACK HISTORY SPOTLIGHT: CARL ROWAN 'CONCRETELOOP.COM' - QUALITY NOT QUANTITY." 'CONCRETELOOP.COM' - QUALITY NOT QUANTITY. 19 Feb. 2009 <http://concreteloop.com/2008/05/black-history-spotlight-carl-rowan>.
Kirk, C. "Carl Rowan: The Life Story of an Influential Newsman." VOA News - Voice of America Homepage - News in 45 Languages. 19 Feb. 2009 <http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/archive/2005-05/2005-05-14-voa1.cfm>.